What is Airalo and How to Set Up eSIM for The Cheapest Data Around the World

The biggest concern when traveling internationally is internet data roaming charges. No matter how cheaper the plan you pick, it is always going to be expensive simply because carriers charging hefty for international mobile data. A local SIM should allow you to avoid such exorbitant charges but every country has its policies on when the SIM cards you purchase will be activated. This can be a massive problem since you could be left out with no SIM card for hours or even days and even if you manage to get one, handling multiple SIM cards can be a problem of the next degree. Getting a phone with an eSIM and getting access to services that offer eSIM plans and packages can be extremely cost-effective. I have tried it and it really works.

What is Airalo?

I am talking about Airalo, a company that offers eSIM services to over 100 countries and that too at affordable pricing so much so that I was really impressed at the first glance itself. Airalo uses your phone’s, tablet’s or laptop’s eSIM capabilities and registers it with your account so that you can have data internationally without burning your pockets. Airalo’s eSIM services allow you to keep your primary number active and it connects to your eSIM and activates it for any specific country. In fact, you can always switch to eSIM of any other country if you are traveling or subscribe to a different carrier using your eSIM.

How do Airalo works?

Airalo uses your phone’s eSIM or embedded SIM capabilities to offer data coverage across the globe or any specific country depending upon the plans you pick. It is crucial to know what is an eSIM and how it works before diving into the services that Airalo offers.

What is an eSIM?

eSIM stands for embedded SIM which is basically a tiny chip that is already mounted within your device that can be programmed as per your eSIM service provider. First, we had full-sized SIM cards known as 1st Form Factor or 1FF. Gradually, the size of the SIM cards was declared from Mini-SIM to Micro-SIM, and currently, we are using Nano-SIM in almost all phones.

However, even after Nano-SIMs are way smaller than their closest sibling Micro-SIM, an eSIM takes just 15% space of the Nano-SIM. This is after eliminating the need to have a SIM card assembly, the SIM card tray where the SIM card is placed and other components required. This saves a lot of space within a smartphone thereby allowing it to be slimmer than others. This is one of the reasons why smartphones are getting rid of headphone jacks and dedicated memory card slots among other accessories.

Since eSIMs are easily programmable, one can easily subscribe to any eSIM carrier. It is as simple as downloading any carrier’s app such as Airalo’s, selecting the country of visit, plan, and there you have it. eSIMs allow multiple SIM connections as well, although only one can be used at a time. This is where Airalo comes into play as one of the best services that offer the cheapest data roaming around the world without any second thought.